BP's oil spill cleanup isn't done: An editorial

State officials expressed their unhappiness last fall when the Coast Guard and BP decided to stop cleaning up oil from the massive 2010 spill. They believed that the plan to shift away from cleanup efforts would leave coastal beaches and wetlands vulnerable to continued oil contamination, and there is new evidence that they were right.

That is the problem with a spill as vast as this one. Oil is likely continue to reappear for an extended period of time.

And that is why the state has been pushing for long-term monitoring of coastal marshes that were damaged by the spill. "These are places where we absolutely need long-term monitoring," said Olivia Watkins, a spokeswoman for Louisiana's Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority. Warm weather is causing oil to bubble up in areas that had been cleaned, she said.

Last week, a team of scientists with the National Wildlife Federation also found signs of oil in Bay Jimmy, in the northern part of Barataria Bay. Some patches in the marsh "were completely devoid of vegetation. They smelled like asphalt," said Alisha Renfro, a coastal scientist with the federation.

No question, BP should pay for monitoring and continued cleanup. State officials have continued to press for that in meetings with company officials. So far, they have been unsuccessful, and the issue may wind up in court.

But it would be better if the Coast Guard stepped in, as officials promised to do if more oil appeared. Capt. Julia Hein, the federal on-scene coordinator for the spill, said in November: "If oil appears in areas that have already been deemed as 'clean,' " her agency would respond. A BP official said then that existing and future oil would be dealt with by BP.